The Girl and her Goat
by ArashiKira
Summary: Some people have a puppy follow them back home. If only it was so simple for Erin... Inspired by the Creepypasta of Anasi's Goatman Story.
1. Chapter 1

**The Girl and her Goat Chapter 1 The Camping trip**

Trees went by, blurring away as we drove by the forest roads, far from town. My cousin Shaun and his two friends had invited me to go camping with them. Since they offered to drive and it was my vaccation from work anyway, of course, I agreed. Shaun was driving. Next to him, there was his friend Abbie. The blonde often shot her brilliant green eyes up to the mirror in front of her, trying to get her light curls in order, having left too early to do her hair properly. To my right, there was Clarissa.

She was speaking with great enthusiasm about a boy she had met at work the other day. I was only half-paying attention. Unlike most other girls in their mid twenties, dating had never really interrested me. The other people in the car were all wildly contributing to the conversation. I was too busy looking out the window. I scrunched my nose from time to time and chuckled a bit at some rather immature comments from my pervert of a cousin. The subject gradually changed towards work.

"Hey Erin, you better give me discounts, right?" I looked over to Clarissa and giggled slightly. "Sure. But never on Fridays, the big boss is there." She nodded, smiling thankfully. I was the assistant manager to a local restaurant downtown. It was a job I was pretty happy with. I had always wanted to work in the food industry, wanting to be a chef as a kid. Unfortunately, I was not blessed with the greatest of cooking skills. However, I got my dream-job of working in a restautant when my cousin's friend's brother managed to get me to work there. It only took me a month to get promoted. Apparently, I was a great leader.

We arrived at the camp site a bit after noon. I put my hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun. It was shining brightly, not showing any signs of going away any time soon. Perfect. We unpacked some of our things and put them into the small cabin we had rented. Shaun had taken out his small grill and was making steaks. I closed my eyes and let the smell go through my mind. The glorious aroma of cooking. I wasn't the only one who thought it was good. A few other people from the cabin next-door arrived.

Two tall african-american boys and three whites, two girls and a guy, walked towards us. "Hey, that smells great! We have chips and stuff, mind if we join you guys?" One of the black boys spoke. The other, seeming to be older, maybe around 25 years old, elbowed the younger one in the ribs. "Yeah, dim-wits here forgot to pack our grill and the cabin we rented doesn't even come with a stove." I giggled and looked over to my cousin. He nodded and put some more steaks on the grill.

We opened some chips and served the steaks, all laughing and talking about whatever. Shaun seemed to have found a kindred spirit in one of the two girls, a slightly chubby girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. They both had the same twisted sense of humour. I think I may have seen a glint of love in my cousin's eyes. It made me smirk. He so often had dated, slept with more girls than he can count, but none of them he genuinely loved. Abbie was also being flirtatious, but towards the eldest of the black guys.

A young ginger man, the youngest looking of the group, was arguing with the other girl that had come along with them, telling her that carrots grew under the ground with the leaves sticking out. The girl insisted that they grew in trees. I chuckled and sat up. "He's right, actually. Carrots do grow under the earth with the leaves sticking out." The girl looked at me, wide-eyed, then turned back to the ginger.

I resumed eating, once again, only vaguely listening to the conversations, not really taking part of any of them. The steak was really good. I envied for maybe the hundredth time in my life my cousin's cooking skills. He would have been a great chef if he hadn't wanted to work in electronics. It's a bit ironic, considering that my skills with computers are better than his. I guess life is strange like that. I placed an other chip in my mouth, enjoying the simple taste of plain. Everyone else I was friends with prefered the barbecue ones. I didn't understand them, but that's okay, since they didn't understand me either. I leaned back in my foldable chair, having finished my plate.

I had closed my eyes and was resting, listening to the sounds of the forest that were still quite loud, despite the conversations going on beside me. The peaceful chirping of the birds formed a soft melody. I was almost drifting off to sleep, until a slight clatter woke me up. I looked to the log I was using as a table, only to notice that a young man with dark brown curly hair was picking-up my dishes. He looked startled by the fact he had woken me up. I smiled softly. "Thanks." He slowly let an unsure smile draw it's self on his face, nodding and walking away, lifting his hand up a bit as if to say it was no problem. As he placed the dishes down next to the other ones, I noticed him reach over to the bowls of chips. I smiled slightly when I saw him grab a plain one. I closed my eyes and leaned back, drifting off again.

I awoke from my nap to the rays of the setting sun over the tree branches. The world was basked in glorious orange hues. the beams of sunlight visible through the leaves. I let out a quiet "wow" at how magnificent it was. My contemplation of beauty was brief, however, because I caught a strange smell. It was like...burning? It smelled like when a new cook at the restaurant forgot to turn off one of the stoves, leaving a pan on it. I looked around, confused.

My cousin walked out of the cabin, his brown eyes lighting up upon seeing me. "Hey Sleeping Beauty! Had a nice nap?" I stretched. "Yes, actually." He stepped outside, a beer in his hand. He suddently paused, looking confused and sniffing a bit. "You smell that too?" I nodded. "Yeah...maybe one of the other people in the area left a grill on somewhere." He nodded and went back inside. I stood up and decided to go for a bit of a walk. I grabbed my camera and headed off.

I took a few snap-shots of the gorgeous lighting of the afternoon. I saw a few squirrels and a raven. Everywhere I walked was full of life. After about 40 minutes of walking, however, I started to feel...weird. Like I was being watched. I looked around me, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. I was about to go deeper into the woods, until I noticed that the birds had stopped chirping. The forest had gone silent and still. I occured to me that there could be a bear, or coyotes. I decided it would be best to turn around and head back. The whole time I was walking though, I could have sworn I smelled the same burning smell from before, only stronger.

Later, we were joined by the guys and girls from the other cabin again. The chubby blonde went right back up to Shaun. Abbie sat between the two black guys. I sat with Clarissa to my right and the ginger guy to my left. The other girl was next to the ginger. He looked to me with his golden brown eyes. "Hey, your cousin says you work at a restaurant?" I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, my name's Erin. I'm the assistant manager." His smile brightened. "I'm Rupert. I work at a restaurant too...but...not really as good of a job as you have." The girl sitting next to him shouted out. "He's the janitor!" Rupert looked embarassed, his white skin going red. "Shut it, Beth." I barelly heard his whisper. I giggled.

The younger of the black guys started a small fire and The blonde girl brought a bag of marshmallows. We started enjoying ourselves, eating and talking. Clarissa then decided to start telling ghost stories, of course. "Have you all ever heard the tale of the Goatman?" I raised a brow, chewing the fluffy ball of toasted sugar. Shaun spoke up, snickering. "What, is that Slenderman's zoophile cousin?" I chocked on my marhsmallow and half the people around the camp-fire started laughing.

She just sighed. "No, no he's not." She quickly regained her serious tone. "The Goatman is a spirit or something...he's a shape-shifting creature that lives in the woods, just like these ones! Sometimes he looks like a man, sometimes he looks like a beast. They say he sneaks in among groups of campers, like us, in order to cause chaos and confusion!"

Shaun, a mouth full of marshmallow, slowly swung the stick he was using to roast them. "So...he's not into goats?" I facepalmed, unable to keep back a slight chuckle at my cousin's stupidity.

More stories and tales were told, ranging from old african tales to modern serial killer rumors. I was about to grab an other marshmallow, when I smelled it again. I looked up and met eyes with my cousin and I knew he was smelling it too. That was when I noticed that the whole forest had gone silent again.

"Hey, you guys, do you all smell that too?" Those who were talking paused. Looks of confusion flashed through the eyes of many. "Yeah...w-what is that?" Abbie sounded worried. I shrugged. "I smelled it earlier too...twice." Shaun looked like he was about to say something, but there was suddently a loud smacking sound somewhere behind me. I turned around to see the bushes and ferns shaking about, as if something was running away into the forest. I stood-up, walking back a little. My cousin grabbed my hand and pulled me back. "Maybe...we should go inside now."

We all walked into the cabins.

After getting ready for bed, I placed my sleeping bag on the floor. I curled-up inside, sighing. I was about to close my eyes when I noticed a scrap of paper tucked away between two planks of wood on the wall. I sat up, looking around the room. Everyone else seemed to be asleep or close to sleeping. I stretched my arm and gripped the edge of the sheet of paper, pulling it back. There was writing on it. I reached for my phone and turned it on, using the light from the screen to read.

'He stands with us, always watching.'


	2. Chapter 2

**The Girl and Her Goat Chapter 2 The Weird Guy**

The pure orange light of the morning sun reached me from the window, bringing me out of my peaceful and dreamless slumber. I yawned and stretched, dragging myself out of my sleeping bag. I noticed that Abbie was also awake, making herself coffee. I walked over to the blonde, grabbing some cocoa powder from one of my bags. I was more of a hot-chocolate kind of person.

I put on some slippers and headed outside, hot-chocolate in hand. The day was looking to be beautiful. Birds of all kinds were chirping. I sat outside until my cocoa was done. By then, the others had woken-up. My cousin, his hair looking messy, stepped outside next to me. "How come you never get bitten by mosquitoes, with all the time you spend outside?" I just shrugged. "Maybe they think I'm special." He laughed. "Or maybe you just stink!" I laughed as well. We then looked up as we saw the guys from last night walking out from the bushes. The older of the two black guys spoke-up, clearly the leader of their group.

"Was that you guys, last night?" I looked to Shaun. "What?" The man's frantic brown eyes looked around to the woods around us. "Someone was banging on our cabin's walls at three in the morning, scratching at the front door. When we got up this morning, there were some pretty deep marks in the door." I stood up. "Maybe it was a bear?" I suggested. He shrugged. "Yeah, maybe...but still. If it was someone, they're going to have to pay for the damages!"

Abbie and Clarissa had come out by then. "What's going on?" "Someone or something scratched up their door...Look, I'll go have a look and see if it looks like something a bear would do." He sighed. "Be my guest." I followed him back through the bushes to their cabin. As soon as I saw the state the doors was in, my eyes widened. It wasn't badly damaged, but the markings on it were...strange.

The lower half of the door had two long parallel gashes running down the wood, all the way to a few inches above ground. This clearly was not a bear. I turned around. "Okay, I don't know any animal that could have done that, but it wasn't someone from our cabin." The man looked sceptical. "What if it's the Goatman?" I turned around at the sound of the shaky voice. It was the chubby blonde girl. Her blue eyes were wide with fear.

I looked back to the black guy. Okay, maybe this was all a prank by them. I chuckled. "The Goatman isn't real." Just then, the same strange smell began to rise again. We had all gone quiet. The whole forest had. I began to feel uneasy. "..but something definitely doesn't feel right here. I'm going back to my cabin." I started walking back through the bushes. The two others followed me.

We all sat together. The smell had gone away. Shaun spoke-up. "Well, if there is some big animal out there, it seems to be close to Samuel's cabin. You all might be safer here." Oh...that was his name. Samuel. Just then, the other girl who was with them spoke. "But what about our stuff? It's all still in there." Clarissa spoke next. "We can all go get it together. " We agreed and headed of back to their place.

I helped them move some of their bags around, carrying two. It was a bit too heavy for me. I still tried. As I was walking back to our cabin, I slipped on a log and almost fell, only for someone to catch me. I looked behind me and saw it was the guy with the curly hair. "T-thanks." He just nodded. He pulled me back to my feet nearly effortlessly and plucked one of the heavy bags from my hand. He began walking towards our cabin too. He didn't even look back. I just silently followed. We put the bags in a pile with others. After a few hours, everything from their cabin was in ours. By then, it was lunch time.

We decided to make burgers. I got some chips from a bag and brought them out. I offered a few plain ones to the guy who had eaten them last time. He smiled and looked up to me. It was only then that I managed to get a good look at his eyes. I tried hard not to gasp, thinking it might be rude. They weren't brown, or blue, or green...the closest color I could describe them as was amber, but...no. Not amber. Orange. A beautiful shade of fiery orange. He had looked away by the time I snapped out of my thoughts. I decided to walk back over to my seat.

As we served the burgers, I began to think. Something did not feel right. I looked back up to the weird guy. He hadn't been with them when they walked over to our cabin the first time...come to think of it, the second time either. He wasn't a part of their group, and he wasn't a part of ours. I blinked, realizing he was looking right at me. I hadn't noticed I was staring at him. Right as I was about to look away, I noticed him giving me a dark smirk, winking. I gasped quietly, looking back down to my food. Who was he? Could he be...no. That didn't make sense, the Goatman story couldn't be real. Maybe he was a part of their group and they were just trying to prank us.

We continued with our food, then we played a whole variety of games. I went for a walk and enjoyed the scenery. We had all almost forgotten about the weird things going on. Almost. And we were quickly reminded anyway. The strange smell began to rise again. By then, it was the afternoon and the sun was setting. We were about to grill some hot-dogs. We were just getting the food out when it had seeped in from the woods. Again, everything was silent. The smell was stronger this time, smelling like rust...or blood.

I looked around at all of us. Everyone had gone quiet, looking tense. That was when I got a really good look at everyone. Shaun, Abbie, Clarissa, Samuel, Rupert, the shorter black guy, the chubby girl and the other girl Beth...and me. The guy with the curly hair...was nowhere to be seen. Just as I was about to ask where he was, a strange screech came from the woods. It was unlike anything I had ever heard. High-pitch, drawn out, like the mating call of an elk, only if the elk had a really sore throat and was screaming through a tube.

Shaun paled. "Let's get inside. NOW." We all went into the cabin, locking the door. I decided to go lock all the windows as well. I turned around after shutting the living room window. I walked through the open bathroom door and shut the window in there too. When I walked back out, I sighed in relief. The scent seemed to have lifted. I sat down next to the others in the living area. I shut my eyes, a slight head-ache coming on. My eyes then snapped open and I looked back up. The guy with curly hair was sitting by the window. He was inside, with us. I began to be filled with a sense of dread. I didn't want to say anything. I didn't know what to say.

I couldn't sleep that night. I had been lying down with my eyes shut for a good two hours and I still could not find rest. I tossed and turned. I eventually opened my eyes. It seemed only one other person was still awake, and it was him. He was sitting by the window again, his chin propped up on his elbow, gazing outside. The moon's light reflected in his flame-like eyes. He blinked and turned around, meeting my gaze. I held it for a few seconds, before he smiled and pulled himself away from the window. He curled up next to it, tucking himself under a ratty and old blanket that didn't even cover his knees. He didn't have a pillow either.

His eyes were shut and he looked about to fall asleep. Suddently, for a brief moment, I wasn't affraid of him anymore. I felt bad for him. I sat up and whispered. "Hey, hey, you!" His eyes opened and he looked back up to me. I gulped, looking down to the two pillows I was using. Making-up my mind, I grabbed one of them. "Here, catch!" I tossed it over to him. He quickly grabbed it, his eyes widening. He looked extremely confused, gazing between the pillow and me. Suddently, a genuine warm smile drew it's self on his otherwise mischivious features and he pressed himself into the fluffy pillow. I heard his peaceful sigh of content.

Sleep still took a while to find me. A few of the people in the cabin were snoring in a not-so-graceful way. However, one snore reached my ears, sounding a lot more peaceful and quiet. It was him, the weird guy. He had fallen into a deep sleep, a placid smile on his face. Soon, I was snoring too.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Girl and her Goat Chapter 3 The Deal**

I woke-up alone in the room. I was a bit confused, until I looked at the time on my phone and saw that it was nearly one in the afternoon. I walked out of the cabin and saw Shaun, the blonde girl, Beth and the weird guy outside. "Hey Shaun, why didn't you wake me up?" He looked up, seemingly startled from his conversation. "Oh, hey. Yeah I know you normally wake-up in the morning. I figured that I shouldn't interfere with a miracle." I heard a huff and looked over to the weird guy who seemed to be chuckling, only no sound came out.

Shaun walked elsewhere with the girl. Beth looked between me and the guy. "So...are you two a couple?" I blushed and looked up quickly. "What?!..I...I don't even..." _I don't even know him._ She blushed as well, looking to her feet. "Sorry...I guess I shouldn't have said that. It's just that I saw him this morning giving you another pillow." I looked over to him. I hadn't noticed that this morning I had woken up with two pillows when I should have only had one. "Uhm...yeah...no. That was my pillow. He has none." We spoke a bit more, but I wasn't paying attention to most of what she was saying. There was one big thing on my mind now, a confirmation of something I had been thinking.

As soon as she said goodbye and walked away, I turned, pointing an accusing finger to the young man. "She doesn't know who you are. They don't know who you are, and we don't either." A half smile stretched accross his otherwise expressionless face. "Why are you smiling?" It was then that he spoke, for the first time in front of me. "Thank you...for...the pillow." And with that, he turned around and walked off. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. The phrase sounded sincere, like he was genuinely happy. That wasn't the problem with it. The problem was his tone of voice, the way he spoke it's self. It sounded...dead. More like a machine than like a person. It had a weird choppy rhythm to it. Plain and simply abnormal.

I grabbed something to eat, trying to shake-off the incident. Was I really going to start believing in urban legends and fairy tales? I shuddered, suddenly aware that the answer to that question was 'yes'. And even if he wasn't some kind of forest spirit or whatever, this was a stranger in our groups, and nobody else noticed because each group was convinced that he had come along with the other.

I wasn't the only person thinking about the strange happenings. Everyone else was caught in wild arguments, both groups accusing each other of being responsible for all the weird things happening. Apparently something else had happened when I was still asleep. Only two people weren't caught up in all the shouting. Me, and him. He sat a bit further from everyone, closer to the tree line. His arms were crossed over is chest and a devious smirk played on his lips. His eyes briefly met mine before he turned around and walked off somewhere.

I looked up when Samuel had stomped on the ground loudly. "No, we aren't getting any more of that animal BS! That was no animal this morning! That was a person! And if it's not one of us, it's one of you!" Clarissa retorted. "We're not the only people in the world, you know! There are others here! Why do we have to accuse each other?" Suddently, there was an ear-piercing shriek. The same cry as the last time. I felt my stomach drop. Everyone had gone silent, paling. Something was moving in the woods. Between two shaking bushes, I caught a glimpse of brown fur. We all ran. We ran right for our cabin. The door was locked and everyone backed into the main room where we had all been sleeping last night. The scent was heavy in the air and the fear was clear in all of us.

I looked over us again. I looked at every single face one after the other. He wasn't there.

A discussion had taken place. Regardless of who or what was doing all of this, we had to do something about it. Shaun spoke up. "We should call the local rangers. It doesn't matter if this is a person or an animal, we can't just sit here and let it terrorize us." The blonde girl, who was sitting next to my cousin, huddled closer to him, her eyes watery. "Yeah but what if it is the Goatman? What are they going to do about that, huh?" Shaun sighed. "Look...there's no such thing..." I got distracted from their words. I had seen movement in the corner of my eyes. I turned around and felt a chill. The guy was there, walking quietly over to us, sitting down on a nearby chair, completely unnoticed by everyone but me. The whole time, his gaze was locked with mine, that mischivious grin splitting his face.

I blinked as I caught one more part of what Shaun said, mumbled a little more quietly. "...I wonder what it wants." I had a horrible knot in my stomach. Anxiety filled me, but I grabbed on to all the courage I could managed and I looked up to him, raising my chin in defiance. "Y-yeah, what do you want?" There was a sudden silence. All eyes slowly turned towards him.

His smug grin had fadded as soon as I said it, a look of worry flashing before his fiery eyes. It had quickly fadded by the time the others looked, replaced by a strange look of...admirance?

Samuel stood up. "That's it! I knew it was one of you guys!" Shaun stood up as well, looking back to him. "What are you talking about? He came with you!" I spoke-up again, gaining more courage. "He came with neither of us!" There was an other moment of silence, a few people backing away a little. The stranger's gaze was still locked with mine. My nervousness increased, accompanied by a feeling of dread.

"Fun."

I flinched. I hadn't been ready for him to say anything in the silence. "W-what?.." He smiled, crossing his arms casually behind his neck. "Why. Fun." He then started chuckling again, chuckling without sound as he had done before. The feeling of dread increased. This was definitely the guy, and this guy was clearly not normal. The younger black guy stepped forward, his hand clenched into a fist. "What's the big deal? You want to fight?" The stranger's head snapped over to him, his smile gone. A low growl rose from his throat. The scent, the horrible scent was back. I looked to the black guy and saw that he looked frozen in fear. He backed away, back into the circle of people. I looked over to the guy and paled as well. His eyes had changed. His already surreal eyes. They were the same shade of fiery orange, but the pupils were not the same. They had become horizontal slits, inhabited by a shine that made me think that they were actually glowing. His gaze fell on me, and I felt nauseous as I watched the black lines contract, returning to a circular shape. His eyes had gone back to being almost human.

Beth, shaking from head to toe, walked forward a little. "C-can't you leave us alone, please? You...you had fun! Now please...leave us...We won't be staying long." Abbie walked forward too. "We...we're only supposed to be here four more days." He blinked, looking like he was thinking. The whole time, he was stroking his chin slowly. His eyes then fell back on me. Why was it always me? My anxiety returned tenfold when I saw him smirk deviously.

He spoke again, in his toneless voice, the voice of someone who wasn't used to speaking. "Alright...no...more fun. But, she spends the days...with me." He had gestured over to me. I pointed to myself, backing away. "W-what? Me?" He looked thoughtful again. "You're...brave."

Suddently, a hand pulled me back. Shaun had stepped in front of me. "I'm not letting you hurt my cousin." He seemed to flinch a little. His head tilted to the side. "I...don't hurt...people. I play." I put a hand on Shaun's shoulder. "Look, I think he's telling the truth." My cousin spun around, looking at me like I was crazy. I looked back over to who I now knew for sure was the Goatman. He was waiting. On the outside, he looked cold and devoid of expression. However, in his eyes, and in the clearly nervous way he rubbed his hands together, I knew he was anxious. He was genuine. I knew this wasn't a human, but I knew this also wasn't a liar.

I gulped, taking in a deep breath. "I can do this." Shaun nodded, backing away a little. "You are crazy." I walked forward. After a bit of hesitation, the young man stepped forward a well. I extended my arm towards him. He tilted his head to the side, looking at it for a few moments, before he slowly raised his own arm, putting his hand in mine. I shook his hand, letting go shortly after. He backed away, looking down to his palm with an unreadable gaze. I looked down to my own hand as well. He was warm. Much warmer than a normal person.

I looked up, seeing that he was silently walking over to the door. He opened it and stepped out into the darkening forest, shutting the door behind him. The nerves finally snapped. I collapsed to my knees, shaking, putting my head in my hands. _What have I just gotten myself into?!_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Girl and her Goat Chapter 4: Toh'ma **

I woke-up at dawn, the light streaming in through the curtains beautifully. For a brief moment, I felt peaceful, as if everything was right with the world. My smile faded away and all sleepiness left me when I remember what I had engaged myself to do. I had to spend four days, in the woods, with a being that was something other than human. I sat down on my blankets, trying to distract myself. No matter how hard I tried, my mind always went back to the upcoming day.

_When will he show-up? Will I come back here to sleep? What does he plan to do with me? What if he lied about not hurting people? What if he just ditches me alone in the woods? What if there are worst things out there than him?.._

So many questions. I jumped slightly when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Shaun. "Hey Erin...you've kind of...been staring off into space for the past few minutes." He sounded very gentle, using a tone of voice like that one would use when speaking to a child. I gazed into his eyes. He sat down as well. "Are you okay?" I couldn't help but giggle. "Well, I feel like I might have just sold my soul to the Devil, but other than that, I'm fine." He gave me a sad smile. His arms wrapped around me and he hugged me closely. Part of me felt relieved, but an other part of me became even more scared. _Please don't let this be a goodbye hug._

He stood, helped me up and we headed over to the kitchen area. I made myself hot chocolate and I returned to my spot to drink it. After I was done, I put my cup down and went to get dressed. I put on some sporty black pants and a tight-fitting green t-shirt. I tied my hair up in a short ponytail. I took some time to gaze into my reflexion. Why did I show no signs of fatigue? How had I actually managed to sleep last night?

A knock on the bathroom door sent me back to reality. I opened the door and met my cousin's sad eyes. He was stiff looking. In a short and sharp voice, he gave me the news. "He...he's out there." I gulped and started heading over to the door. All of the others looked at me like I was insane. Shaun suddenly had a look on his face, one that told me he had just remembered something. "Erin, here, take this. Just in case." He rushed to his bag, dug into one pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. He handed it to me. I admired the blade. It was a nice silver color with a small engraving of a dragon on it. It folded neatly into a dark wooden hilt. I smiled to him greatfuly and turned back towards the cabin door. With a deep breath, I twisted the knob and stepped outside.

I looked across from me to see the young man standing on the edge of the woods. Our eyes met and I noticed that he seemed almost surprised that I had actually come out. I nervously walked over to him, keeping my gaze on the ground. A horrible knot was forming in my stomach and I was overwhelmed by the need to say something, anything. "..Hey." He tilted his head to the side, wordlessly grabbed onto my wrist and started dragging me off into the woodland.

I felt my heart stop and I almost tripped. Readjusting my pace, I followed on, my mind filling with questions. "Hey! Could you...slow down a little? Where are we going?" He did slow down, but didn't say anything. I took the time to look him over, taking in his appearence. He was definitely wearing different clothes from the last time. He was clad in a black t-shirt that had a few tears in the back, looking like claw marks. It was dotted with mud here and there. He had shorts that went a little bellow his knees, of a dull brown color. They seemed too big for him and he was wearing what could only be described as a rope made of hair as a belt. It seemed to be woven out of his own hair, having the same dark brown and slightly curly overall look. He wasn't wearing any socks, or shoes. I decided to take in more of his facial features. For a man who lived in the woods, he seemed awfully clean shaved. The only facial hair he had was a slight amount of stubble on his chin and what looked like a fourteen year old's attempt at growing a mustache. His skin tone was a very rich color and he had very angular features. He seemed slightly malnourished, but without being skinny. His piercing fiery eyes turned over to me and I looked away.

We came to a spot by a large pond. I looked up and my eyes widened. On the other side, there had to be the largest and most beautiful willow tree I had seen in my life. It's drooping branches almost looked like they were raining down from the clouds and it's trunk was so thick, you could carve a tunnel through it. Right next to the ancient giant, there was a small rocky protrusion from which sprung a waterfall. The area smelled fresh, pure.

I looked to my left, only now noticing my hand was no longer being held. The young man had started walking over to the tree. He suddenly paused and began to look around, his eyes moving as if they were following the movement of unseen things. I then stepped back when I heard him begin to let out a series of strange sounds, chittering rapidly. It took me a few moments to figure out he was speaking in a different language, one I had never heard before. His gaze then trailed on, eventually landing on me. Just then, I felt a cool gust of air, an air current circling me, and the intense feeling of being watched. The sensation faded, and I looked to my side to see leaves and blades of grass fluttering about, moved by a breeze I couldn't feel. I looked back up when I heard him huff.

_What...what was that?!_

I decided to walk over to where he was standing. "What just happened?" He turned to me, not really looking at me. "Spirits. They met you." I looked around, a cold shiver running down my back. _S-Spirits?.. _I looked back to him and felt my stomach drop, my jaw hanging agape. His whole body shivered and his appearence...changed. It seemed like a light coat of fur, the same color as his skin, began to cover his body. His face pushed out a little into what looked like mix between a snout and a human face, a small tuft of fur extending under his chin. His ears had extended to be almost deer-like and he frowned and grunted softly as a set of long, cruved horns emerged from the back of his head, elegantly curling. He opened his eyes again, his pupils now horizontal slits.

I suddently felt like my knees were made of jell-o and I felt them give. I was falling, but then I wasn't. In the haze of my mind, I hadn't yet realized that the sudden warmth and the soft feeling meant that he had caught me. I returned to awareness, sitting at the base of the willow, my back propped-up against it's rough bark. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a sound coming from somewhere to my left...upwards. I looked up to see this strange creature, perched on one of the thicker branches. He looked down to me with fiery orange eyes, the look on his face being one somewhere between concern and impatience. I shakily stood up and held his gaze. He gestured with his chin. I understood what he meant.

"You...want me to climb up there?" He blinked slowly and nodded. "...Yes." I couldn't help but flinch when I heard that voice. "I...I can't climb." He then got up from his crouch, elegantly swinging from branch to branch, down to where I stood. It looked like he was gliding through the leaves. I briefly noticed that his feet had been replaced by large and heavy looking cloven hooves, each half ending in a wickedly sharp point. The gashes on Samuel's door came to mind.

He hesitantly reached a hand out to me. The fur that coverd his body stopped at the wrist, a very fine coat covering the back of his hand. The rest of them looked perfectly human. With just as much hesitation, I took it. Suddently, I was being pulled up into the tree. "Hey, WOW!" In the blink of an eye, I was up on the branch, hugging the trunk, clinging to it for dear life. To my side, there was the Goatman. Sitting down casually, his legs crossed, chin propped-up on his hand. With the odd shape of his eyes, it was hard for me to notice that he was actually staring at me.

I averted my gaze and ended-up looking in front of me. My eyes widened and I suddenly understood what he wanted to show me. The branches split in such a perfect way that I had a view over the whole pond area, framed in elegant green curtains that swayed gently with the breeze. The petals of a few flowering trees I hadn't initially noticed were drifting on the undisturbed surface of the pond. Birds of all kinds were flying around, various forest creatures emerging from the bushes in order to drink water. I saw a few deer, a bunny, a skunk and even a mother black bear and her cubs. All of this was lit by the magnificent sun's rays, filtered through the branches, basking everything in a soft golden glow. A blue bird flew in our direction and I moved closer to the trunk, startled, when it flew right towards me. I opened my eyes to see that I hadn't been it's target.

I couldn't help but let out a slight giggle when I saw the bird happily perched on the creatures's curved horns. He heard my laugh and tilted his head slightly. The bird moved to keep it's balance. I only started laughing louder. His ears flicked back and his eyes narrowed, showing annoyance. He turned his attention back to the scenery, his face returning to it's cool and collected look. His ears, however, remained sharply tilted backwards. And the bird remained perched on his head. He raised his arm, gesturing towards the pond. "Rhushya." I looked over to him. He held my gaze. "Water...in...uh..." He gestured with his hands, a motion like digging a hole. "A body of water?" I offered. He nodded. "Body of water. Rhushya." He looked back over to it. He lifted his hand again and pointed over to the bird. "Flufhu'chi" _Bird. _He then gestured around, motioning with his hands, trailing them downwards. "Toh'ma." A small smirk played on his face. I understood he ment the light. Confirming my thoughts, he translated. "Sunlight." He then smirked again, gesturing over to himself. "And...me." I looked to him, trying to ignore the bird that was still comfortably sitting there. His ears had gone back to a raised position.

"Your name...is Toh'ma?..Sunlight?" He nodded. He then pointed over to me. "Ki?" I pointed to myself. For some reason, I hesitated. His facial expression looked calm, but again, I saw in his eyes a slight anxiety, and his ears had drooped a little. "Uhm...my name is Erin." His ears flicked back to their previous position and he smiled, looking back towards the pond. "Ka Toh'ma...Ki...Erin." I shivered when he said my name. From the corner of my eye, I'm pretty sure I saw him doing so too. A few moments of silence hung between us. It was making me uncomfortable, and I felt that it had the same effect on him. I looked back over to him. "What language is this?" His gaze fell back to me. "Fishuu...Spirit." I felt a cold shiver as strange air movements passed by me again. His eyes followed around, and I was suddenly aware that there were things out here that I could not see, but that he could.

We stayed there for a few more minutes...or maybe an hour. I hadn't checked the time, so I couldn't tell. I knew for sure that the streaks of sunlight, of toh'ma, had moved around, therefor, I knew some time had passed. My stomach began to growl and I guessed it was about lunch time. His ears had flicked and he looked back over to me. The bird flew away. He delicately stood up on the branch. My breath caught in my throat and I subconciously clung to the trunk harder, seeing him standing over me like that. He then gracefully lept down to a branch bellow, turning back with his hand held out. I took it and he helped me down.

I let him guide me through the woods. He occasionly looked around, his gaze landing on something unseen, and he chittered a bit in the spirit language. After a few minutes, he slowed down. His body shuddered again, his shape returning to a human one. Discomfort riddled his face and his breath intake grew sharp as his horns disapeared and his feet returned to being...well...feet. He then looked back to me, eyes almost human, and resumed walking, like nothing abnormal had happened. It only then occured to me that all of this was normal to him. For me, this was the strangest day in my life. For him, maybe it wasn't so. Then again, he seemed just as weirded out about me as I was about him.

The camp site became visible right up ahead and I couldn't help but smile and feel a wave of relief wash over me. Even if I now trusted this...creature...no. Toh'ma, I still couldn't help but feel better now that I was getting closer to others...closer to normal humans. The way he looked at me told me he probably detected my change of mood, however, I couldn't read what he was feeling right now.

Abbie was the first to notice me, dropping a can of bug spray she was using. "ERIN!" She rushed over to me, completely ignoring the young man by my side. I was embraced in a tight hug as I saw the others all heading over to me. The smell of cooking then hit me. I escaped the hug, laughing a little. "Aw come on guys, I was only gone for a couple hours!" Shaun pushed through the group, smiling widely in happiness and relief. "Yeah, well...we were still worried." I smiled back to him, greatful for the care. I looked to my left, seeing the way Toh'ma stood, looking at everyone in a very calculating way, but his posture was stiff, making me see that he was pretty unsure what to do. He didn't move. I could tell people were trying to ignore him. They were failing. Several gazes kept falling back over to him.

Shaun finally pulled me into the group and we walked over to eat lunch. I didn't speak to that many people, oddly enough. As I munched on my hot-dog, I was busy looking over to the Goatman, who, right now, looked a lot more like a hungry kid. He was sitting a few meters away from us, under the shade of a tree. I tapped Shaun on the shoulder. He looked over to me. "Erin? What's wrong?" For whatever reason, I felt nervous about what I was going to ask. "Can we...get him something to eat too? I mean...look at him." Shaun followed my gaze. The young man noticed and he looked up, a gleam of hopefulness crossing his eyes.

My cousin looked to me like I was insane. For a moment, I was sure he would say no. He then sighed and got up, grabbing a sausage from the grill, putting it in a bun and adding ketchup. He reached for some chips. I smiled up to him. "Plain. Put them plain." He looked back to me with a raised brow, before doing as I had said. I let my stare follow him as he reluctantly walked up to Toh'ma. The inhuman being stood up quickly, looking surprised. Shaun gazed down to the plate he was holding, then back up to him. "Uh...here...I guess." A light passed through the creature's eyes and he took the plated, backing up into the shadows. He gave a short nod of gratitude and my cousin walked back over to me.

He sat back down next to me. "He's not that bad...seems pretty nice. Not that bad looking either." I nearly choked on my bite. The only image that ran through my mind was that of a strange cloven-hooved beast with a half-snout and long curved horns. The rest of lunch time was spent in silence and I understood, as did everyone, that I would have to go back with him once I was done. The day wasn't over yet.

I sat up, going to pick up Toh'ma's plate. He smiled softly to me. He didn't come any closer to the rest of us. I walked back over to him and he stood up. He didn't grab my wrist this time. He just walked back into the forest, and I followed him. As soon as we were out of the range of sight of the others, he changed again. I didn't react as badly as last time, but the sight still made me nauseous. He observed me, waiting a few seconds. He was probably just checking to make sure I didn't faint again. I still can't believe I did that...I can't believe I'm doing any of this!

We walked a bit more. He resumed teaching me in the spirit language. I learned that trees were called "Kruhnt" and that a flower was a "Prhu'in". I guess I was teaching him too, because he didn't know that a flower was...well...a flower. There were a few other words that I filled him in on. I noticed something about his tone of voice. His strange shaky and choppy rhythm was nowhere to be seen whenever he repeated a word I had taught him. Most notably my name. He seemed to like saying it. This led me to believe that it wasn't something wrong with his voice...just...an accent he had developped. A way he learned to pronounce some things. I guess he didn't have any real interractions with people out here.

This whole language sharing thing was making me feel oddly connected to him. It was like we were exchanging parts of our own identities. I was quickly becoming comfortable around him, and more open to asking him questions. He, however, remained just as reserved as he was in the first place. He answered, though. "Hey Toh'ma?" He nodded. "Erin." "If you're sunlight, what's the word for moonlight?" A corner smile stretched his snout, like it did everytime I asked him a question. "End'ma." "So...'ma' means light?" He nodded. "Tohuh...day. Endhu...night. The...moon...Poorlend." The way he said 'moon' told me he either didn't know that word or he didn't remember it. He must have known it before, considering he was able to answer me so quickly. I knew he could read and write. He had written his name in the dirt with a stick for me. Where had he learned all these things?.. I didn't ask.

Quickly the sun began to decend towards the horizon and we found ourselves turning around, heading back to the camp. By now, I was mostly used to his way of talking, his odd tone of voice and the occasional spirit words he would throw in when he was lost when it came to translating. I could undertsand him.

As we neared the camp, I felt that same relief again. Only this time, it was accompanied by an other feeling I most certainly didn't expect to feel. Reluctance. I...didn't want to leave him. His demeanor was nothing like I had expected. Despite his pretty cold appearance and the terrifying reputation, he was actually...childish...playful...sweet even. This one day spent by his side had already created a rather strong friendship between us, and I knew he was just as reluctant to say goodbye as I was. He hadn't bothered to change back and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to bring it up, so I didn't say anything.

The only people outside were Shaun and the chubby girl he had taken a liking to. They both noticed me, but turned snow-white when their eyes landed on the one who was walking besides me. I turned back to Toh'ma, who had his ears pinned back, looking anxious...or sad. Maybe both. "So...I'll see you tomorrow I guess?" He blinked and locked gazes with me. His ears flicked upwards. A small smile drew it's self on his snout and he nodded, disapearing back into the darkening forest.

I turned back towards the couple, only to laugh. The girl had fainted and Shaun was looking her over in a state of near panic. Thankfully, she recovered pretty quickly. My cousin looked back to me. "What the heck was...wow...so that's what he looks like for real?" I nodded. "Yeah...I freaked out too."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Girl and Her Goat Chapter 5: The Whisper**

I was embraced by everyone in the cabin as soon as I returned. Clarissa went and got me hot chocolate. Everyone was suddently much more caring. Funny how sometimes, the only way people show care, is when they think you could die. Wait...what? When had I started thinking of my friends that way? Abbie and Clarissa have always been kind to me. Well...I guess kindness and care aren't exactly the same thing.

"So what happened?!" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at Samuel. Everyone was quietly sitting in front of me, expecting me to tell them about my day. "Oh...well...it was really weird. Don't worry, though. I didn't get hurt. He was actually really friendly." I told them about the pond with the waterfall, sitting in the giant willow, I told them about his other form. I decided against telling them I fainted, however. They didn't need to know that.

"He told me his name." The others all looked to me intently. "I'm...not sure if I'm supposed to repeat it to anyone. I'm not sure if I was even supposed to tell anyone about today."

And just like that, everything was forgotten. Only Shaun still sat by my side, making sure I was really okay. His chocolatey brown eyes looked me from head to toe, always giving me a soft smile before looking away whenever he saw that I noticed him. Eventually, he left too and I went to sleep. Sleep was surprisingly easy to find. I guess this one day was enough to show me that he wasn't going to hurt me. Unless he was only trying to lure me into a false sense of security... I shuddered. It was the sounds of the crickets outside that eventually got me to fall into a peaceful abyss.

With dawn came new anxiety. I guess I wasn't as sure as I had thought I was. I went to get dressed, slipping on a dark purple hoodie and some black leggings. I brushed my hair, feeling the long and dark strands between my finger tips. I needed a shower. They felt really greasy and it was kind of gross. My mind wandered over to Toh'ma.

I snorted. Why would he care if my hair was untidy? I didn't know if he ever even washed himself at all. I looked into the mirror, losing myself to my thoughts again. Did he smell bad? I hadn't noticed. There was a knock on the door. I was overwhelmed by a sense of déjà vu when I opened it to see Shaun looking at me sympathetically. However, I could detect some kind of half smile on his lips...almost like he was trying to keep himself from laughing...Was there something on my face? "He's there again." I smiled warmly to my cousin, hugging him tightly. "I'll see you guys later."

I stepped outside and paused. Toh'ma was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the dirt path, a crown of flowers woven into his hair. I couldn't stop a giggle. When I understood that this is what Shaun had found funny, I flat out burst into laughter. "Oh my gosh. What is that on your head?" He tilted his head to the side, smiling sheepishly. "Prhu'in?" I walked towards him and he stood up quickly. His fiery eyes tilted over to the ground, he turned around and then slowly started walking off. I internally felt very relieved that he hadn't grabbed my wrist and dragged me off like yesterday. Maybe he was learning manners while he was with me.

We walked in a different direction from last time. All around us, the forest sang, it was a melody of bird songs, running streams and wind in the branches. The crickets chirped, going quiet when we grew near. I stopped walking when we arrived at the edge of a small cliff, maybe four meters high. The steep rocks were covered in tuffts of moss, the whole thing held together in the thick roots of century-old pine trees and cedars. The sunlight flitted in through the branches. Something interrupted the scenery and I looked down in surprise when a streak of brown suddenly dashed accross my vision.

The Goatman had shifted to his beast-like appearence and reached the top of the cliff in merely three bounds, and now stood perched on top, looking down to me, maybe not even two seconds after he had been standing by my side. I looked up to him, my jaw dropped. The way he stood, in front of the sun, caused him to appear like nothing but a black silhouette to me, wrapped in the beautiful light of the young day, however, I knew he was looking at me with his typical gaze of patience blended with anxiety.

"Okay, no. I'm sorry, but I can't climb up there." I heard him huff and his ears tilted back. He began walking along the edge of the cliff, walking towards south. I followed from the bottom of the hill. The only sounds that now echoed through the woods were the crunching of leaves and twigs under our feet and the occasional chirp of the various birds that lived out here. The silence was both peaceful and horrible. I decided to try to start a conversation. "So...what do you do out here in the woods? When you're not trying to terrify people, I mean." I looked up through my hair, seeing that he had a corner smile on his snout.

"I walk. I live." Well, so much for a lenghty conversation... I looked up again to see he was looking down to me. His fiery eyes bore into me, making me shudder. He was waiting for me to tell him about my own life. "I...I live in the city. I work in a restaurant." "...Restaurant?" Oh. Right. He probably didn't know what that was. "Well, it's a place where people make food for other people. You can go to a restaurant when you don't feel like cooking for yourself." I saw him nod. "You make food...for others." "Well, actually, I tell people to make food for others. I'm kind of...the boss I guess. I'm not good at making food myself." He smiled to me softly when I said that. I guess he might have noticed from my tone of voice that I wasn't too happy about my lack of culinary skills.

We reached a point where the cliff broke into a gentle slope. The edge of it was soft dirt, overgrown with wild grass, ferns and saplings. I walked up easily, going to stand beside him. Again, he averted his eyes, looking to the ground. We resumed our walk, heading through the tree line. We hadn't been walking for more than a few minutes that the trees thinned out and I was left once again in awe. Before us, there was a field. A massive field. It sloped downwards, rising up again further, ending miles away at the egde of distant mountains that were covered in evergreens. The whole place was dotted with wild flowers of every color in existance. Now I knew where he had gone to make himself that ridiculous headgear he had on.

Just as I thought that, I turned over to him. I barely had the time to blink before he tore a handful of flowers free from his thick curls and hurled it at me. I squeeled and looked up, seeing him scampering further into the field. He stopped and turned, looking at me while chuckling voicelessly. I gasped. That little... I grabbed two handfuls of flowers and grass from the ground and chased after him. His ears laid flat on his head and his eyes widened and he began running away.

Several minutes later and we were both exhausted, laying in the grass and covered in leaves, dirt and petals. I clutched at my racing heart, trying desperately to catch my breath. I had collapsed first, and he had walked over and sat down next to me. He was trying really hard to hide it, but I could see his heavy breaths telling me that he was just as tired as I was.

I heard a twig snap and I looked up, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I backed up quickly, not realizing the soft and warm thing I was holding on to was his arm. I was more busy looking into the eyes of the massive black creature that stood in front of me, it's fur slick and it's mouth open revealing long and sharp teeth. The wolf stared deep into my eyes. I felt movement behind me and suddently had to keep myself from falling as I was thrown of balance. I had been leaning against Toh'ma...

He stood up and walked over to the wolf, a playful look on his face, he suddently leapt to the side. The wolf turned and crouched, it's tail wagging. It started panting. The Goatman then tackled the animal and began playing with it, just like one would with a pet dog. I sat up, still feeling shaken. To him...this was kind of his dog, I guess. I looked up and felt my jaw drop when I noticed a whole pack of wolves walking over to us. Toh'ma was still on the ground, hugging the large black one, his snout burried into the big canine's neck. He then stood up quickly and walked over to me, grabbing onto my wrist and damn near dislocating my arm as he dragged me up to my feet.

I couldn't help but step back as a few of the wolves walked over to us. There were seven of them in all... Still with a big smile splitting his short snout, he took my hand and guided it forward. The black wolf walked over slowly. I flinched as it sniffed my fingertips. I then relaxed as the animal leaned forward a bit, placing it's head under my hand. Toh'ma pressed my hand into it's fur and let me go. I stroked it's soft fur and found myself smiling as well when it began panting and wagging it's tail. Just a big dog...

I looked to my side as Toh'ma watched aprovingly. "Ken end'fish." I blinked, not understanding right away that he was speaking to me in Fishuu again. I guessed that he just told me what the word for wolf was. He reached his hand out and the wolf moved from under my fingers to go to his. The young man patted it's head. "This one...Rhunu. The...boss." He hesitated on the last word and he had said it without his accent. I guess he picked it up from our conversation earlier. So this was the alpha...

Rhunu barked and gained a playful stance. I smiled as Toh'ma collapsed to the ground and rolled over. He wrestled with the wolf a bit more. The other wolves had come closer. I tried to remain still as each came over to sniff me slightly. As a young grey one leaned against my leg, I understood that the pack had accepted me. I looked back to my companion to see that a few other wolves had joined the play-fight. It was four against one and the odds looked to be stacked against the Goatman, but he leapt up and pinned Rhunu to the ground, effectively ending the battle. He stood up and the other wolves leapt backwards. Rhunu got up again and trotted up behind Toh'ma, leaning against him again. The inhuman creature smiled to me proudly. I guess he must have seen from my...initial reaction that I wasn't too comfortable around wolves, so he must have been feeling like the king of the world right now, he who can tame them.

Rhunu eventually walked off into the woods, followed by the six other wolves. Suddenly it was just us again. I looked up and noticed the sun was further than the center of the sky. It was past noon... "Hey Toh, I think it's time I ate." His ears flicked up in surprise at first from me shortening his name, then tilted downwards in what I could only describe as...saddness. They flicked back upwards quickly though, and he began to walk back towards the woods. I began to follow him, but he turned around and held his hand up. "No...you...you stay." I looked on slightly confused, but I agreed. Despite all we had done the past two days, I still didn't fully trust him and I certainly didn't want to anger him. I didn't know what he could do when he was mad...especially with a pack of wolves by his side...

So I sat down in the field, twirling a blade of grass between my fingers. I had been sitting here for a few minutes when I heard leaves rustling. I looked up only to back up a bit, a feeling of dread assaulting me. Toh'ma was walking back, a red stain streaking accross his otherwise old and dull blue shirt, and a dead deer slumped over his shoulder. "What...what are you doing with that?" I couldn't help but jump back when he dumped the carcass just a few feet away from me. He looked to me, seeming confused. I only stood in silence and watched as he walked over to a dead tree, snapped off a few branches, dragged them back and splintered them with the sharp edge of his cloven hooves. He grabbed a stick and began running it against the logs, resulting in a lot of smoke, and eventually, a flame. As he slowly blew over it, letting it grow into a fire, I understood that the cadaver that was laid on the ground and starting to attract flies was meant to be our lunch.

He pulled a rock out of his pocket, one with a sharpened edge and began slowly cutting at the carcass. I suddently recalled my cousin's gift and reached into my hoodie pocket, taking out my pocket knife and flicking it open. "This might work better." I handed it over to him and he carefully took the blade from my hand. He gazed over it, letting the light reflect off of it. He then turned back to the animal and resumed cutting up two chunks of meat. I couldn't help but wince when he wiped the blade on his shirt and handed it back to me with a perfectly casual mannerism. I folded my knife back and thanked the fact that, working in a restaurant, I had seen a few things getting gutted before. I wasn't about to faint. I didn't need _that_ to become part of my daily routine...

I watched him as he plucked a few blades of a few kinds of plants from here and there and returned to his work. He carefully wrapped each piece of meat in herbs and impaled them onto a sharp branch, holding it over the flames. As it cooked, he looked suddenly to the left. I followed his gaze, seeing nothing but fields and flowers. He raised his arm up and began chittering in the spirit language. I couldn't understand most of what he said, other than the word for wolf.

A few minutes later Rhunu and the pack came back. This time, I smiled and crooned as I saw a few puppies following them. The alpha walked forward and carefully gripped the rest of the deer, dragging it back towards the woods, where the others were waiting patiently. I laid back into the flowers, looking up to the clouds. The smell of cooking reached my nostrills, making my stomach growl. I never tried eating deer before, but from the smell of it, I had a feeling it was going to be something.

I was handed a stick with a chunk of meat hanging on it. The herbs had been seared into the flesh, making a crispy exterior. I tentatively took one bite, before I felt like I was melting. God, why was it that even the inhuman goat monster was infinitely better at cooking than I was? This was one of the best things I had had in my life! I subconciously let out a quiet whimper when I realized I had eaten the whole thing and I still wanted more.

Toh had paused, his mouth slightly open, about to take an other bite. He took the meat away from his face, closing his mouth again, extending his arm in order to present what was left of his food to me. I looked from it to him. "N-no! This is yours." He blinked and waved it in front of me again. "No. Not anymore." I took it hesitantly. Again, he looked at me, his eyes reflecting a blend of patience and nervousness. I took a slow bite, making sure I didn't cause the whole thing to disapear right before me again. I set the stick down by my side. "Thanks...hey, where did you learn to cook like that?" He looked down to the ground and shrugged. We sat in silence for a few more minutes, watching as the flames died and the last few sparks and embers were blown away by the late spring breeze.

A whisper escaped his lips, much slower than when he normally spoke Fishuu to himself. "Ka n'zu ki." I looked over to him "Wha..." I didn't even finish my word, as a strange feeling pressed over the forest. The instant the words had reached the air, his eyes had gone wide, his entire body stiff and his ears tilted back in shock. He wasn't even breathing. The air it's self felt heavy, suffocating. All sound in the forest had stopped and I suddently felt very affraid.

A single air current tore through the woods and, as it passed me, I felt the wind get sucked out of my lungs. A shrill cry left Toh'ma's lips and he lept towards me. He stood by me, an arm curled around one of my own. The horrid scent from the first days began to rise, and I winced when I smelled it from him. His fiery eyes looked like they were glowing and he let out an actual low growl that scent chills down my spine.

He began calling out in Fishuu, his tone of voice sounding angry and agitated. My heart was racing and I had trouble keeping up with the world around me, but I was able to notice that a soft breeze fluttered by me, and a sudden feeling of peace washed over us, the thick and dark air current suddently lifting.

The Goatman released the breath he was holding. "What just happened?" He let me go and backed away rather quickly. "A rhunu fishuu. It doesn't like you." His sentence filled me with dread. His ears tilted back upwards and he looked at me. "The others like you. They will protect you." I nodded. I felt light-headed and tired. I think he must have noticed.

"We go back. It will be night." I looked up to the sky and noticed that it had indeed changed color. I stood up and looked back to the field, seeing the decending sun. The beautiful flowers...despite all that happened, it hurt to leave. "Hey..." I started. "Erin." He stepped by me. "Can we...just stay a bit longer? I want to see the sunset." He blinked slowly and nodded.

We stood side by side as we watched the sun decend towards the horizon. The sky became bright orange, just like his eyes. The clouds took on light peachy hues before veering off to gold. It was like the heavens had caught on fire. There was a slight rustling by my side and I looked to see that he had shifted back to his human form. The features almost confused me. I had gotten so used to seeing him under his other appearence... His pointed nose and angular features cast various shadows on his face and neck. The setting sun's rays dyed his complexion in a variety of reddish shades. His eyes trailed over to mine and he quickly gazed back towards the sky. I decided to do the same. The sun was almost at the horizon line and we decided it would be best to walk back now while there was still some light.

The sunset had helped bring a lot of calm after the dramatic event with that spirit. That was the way things tended to be with him. Something scary would happen, but it was followed by something so peaceful that I almost forgot it had ever happened. Walking back to camp with my strange new friend made me think that I still had a day and a half to spend with him. That brought up a question in my mind. Did I really want to go back to the city and live on like I never met him?..

I looked back over to him. We had reached an other small hill, with a sloping side. I started to walk down the smooth decent, and of course, he decided to go down the steep part of the cliff. However, he missed a rock as he stepped down and tumbled down the whole rest of it, landing face-first on the ground at the base of the hill. He looked back up, staring at the rocks in bewilderment. His facial expression was enough to get me into a hysterical laughing fit.

He looked irritated at first, but his frown melted away and he started laughing voicelessly. I walked over to him, about to help him up, but he quickly stood on his own before I got there. He dusted himself off before we started walking again. I knew that I would try to see him again in the future. Now my question was if he would remember me...

We got to the camp site as it was starting to get dark. Shaun was sitting on the steps of the cabin again. As soon as he saw us, he got up and ran towards me, looking furious. "Where were you?! When you didn't show up at lunch time, I got worried sick! I've been worried all day!" I looked to my companion. He seemed sad, and anxious. I guess he felt bad for holding me back. I looked back to Shaun. "I'm sorry...I just had lunch with him today." I gestured over to the Goatman. My cousin looked up to him and then back to me. His anger had left his features and was replaced by relief. He wasn't mad...he was worried.

He looked over to the young man. The two gazed at each-other, deep brown meeting fiery orange. "I guess you two haven't properly met yet. This is my cousin, Shaun. Shaun, this is Toh'ma, the Goatman." Toh smiled and nodded, pushing a few wild strands of curled hair from his face. A whisper left his lips, barely audible. "...Cousin." Shaun looked on a bit longer before he he smiled as well. It almost looked like some kind of silent exchange was going on between them. I said goodbye to Toh'ma and started walking back to the cabin, glad the two seemed to get along rather well.

Right as I got to the door, Shaun paused and looked back to the lone figure walking off into the woodland. "Hey Erin, I'll be right back." He then walked away from me and dashed off after the young man, leaving me alone to face the crowd.

**AN: Sorry if I didn't update last week. I was sick. I'll try to update twice this week since I've gotten more into the mood for this story. I hadn't originally had the rhunu fishuu planned for this. I guess this adds more possibilities for stuff I can work into the fanfic later on. Again, I'll gladly take suggestions. I currently have up to chapter 22 planned out, which takes place in late October. The rest of the fanfic that I have prepared picks-up in spring, late May maybe early June. That leaves a huge gap of unplanned storyline inbetween those, which include Christmas. I won't try to spoil anything, but from the fanfic's description, I think you can work-out that Toh'ma is going to be following Erin back home. So you got the Goatman in the city. I trust some people to at least come up with a few things I can work with later on based off this little bit of knowledge XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Girl and her Goat Chapter 6 The Family**

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" I flinched back as I was assaulted by questions. The flurry of voices resonating around me felt as though they were assaulting my very mind, sending waves of pain through my brain, making me wish I could shrink and disappear into the darkness. This display of care rang through my mind like a violent attack. It took me a few seconds to actually make sense of it all.

Maybe spending time with Toh'ma was making me go feral.

"Guys, guys. I'm alive! Look at me, I'm still here." The people from the other cabin left after this short reassurance that I was still alive. Abbie and Clarissa still stayed, looking to me impatiently, waiting for an explanation.

"I had lunch with him. He killed a deer for me." Clarissa had a look of disgust written accross her face. "You ate a dead deer?!" I placed my forehead in my hand and snorted. "Not raw! He cooked it." She blinked and her back straightened. "He...cooked it?" I nodded. "Yeah. It was great." She placed a hand on her hip and spoke out, both to herself and to us. "Dang. The more you talk about him, the more he sounds both weird, and perfectly normal."

I blinked. That was somewhat true. More and more surreal events took place every day, but he also seemed so...ordinary. He had a pet, he wore different clothes each day, he cooked...he liked to do simple things like watch the sunset. He was both inhuman and perfectly human at the same time.

Shaun walked back in, closing the door quietly. I turned to look at him, giving him a quizzical glance when he smiled up to me in a...weird way. "Hey. So what were you up to?" He chuckled a bit and fixed his hair. His gaze had shifted over to the ground. "Not much. Just getting to know your new friend." I raised a brow. "Oh?" He chuckled again. "Yeah. He seems like a nice guy." And with that he walked away. Odd... but at least they got along well.

I was finally allowed to sit down and I described my day, leaving out the part with the dark spirit that tried to kill me. They didn't need an other reason to feel stressed for me. Shaun sat back and listened, the blonde girl leaning against his side. The pair seemed very peaceful. As I saw the girl resting her head closer to my cousin's neck, I felt something I never had before. Envy. Why? It didn't matter.

They went on to describe their own day to me. Shaun, Samuel and Samuel's little brother, Terrence, had gone fishing in a nearby creek. Terrence fell out of the boat...twice. Rupert tried to get the girls to play volley ball, but he stopped arguing and trying to convince them once he realized that we didn't have a ball anyway. They had eaten chicken noodle soup for lunch and had been about to cook some of the fish they caught when I had come back.

I decided to help them prepare it. Fish was one of the few things I got right. We had a nice supper and we all went to sleep. It took me a while to actually fall asleep. I felt...chilled. To the point where I got up and made myself a mug of hot chocolate in the middle of the night. I was eventually able to get comfortable and find rest.

I woke-up the next morning, my cousin having made me breakfast. I thanked him and enjoyed the warm toast and chocolate milk. Unlike last night, today seemed to be very warm. It wasn't even 9 yet and the sun was shining, warming my skin and making me happy. I got dressed in a plain brown t-shirt and decided to wear my shorts. I braided my hair and walked out of the bathroom, ready before Shaun got me. I guess him making me my food had saved me some time.

I opened the front door and sat on the front steps of the cabin. I heard the door open and Shaun stepped outside and sat by me. We sat in silence, enjoying the morning sun. He eventually cleared his throat and attempted to create a conversation. "So...The Goatman, you trust him, right?" I looked to my cousin. He looked into my eyes, his expression unreadable. "Yeah. Well...sometimes, I have doubts, but only when he isn't here." I looked back to the trees in front of me. He shifted by my side. "...Then I trust him too." I smiled. "What did you talk about last night?" He smirked, almost deviously. "Oh...stuff...and things." After a few moments of silence, I understood that he wasn't going to answer. It frustrated me. My cousin and one of the only friends I had made in years were keeping some kind of secret from me...

As I was lost in thought, I thought I noticed movement from the corner of my eye. Something leapt onto the ground in front of us. Shaun jumped back, a scared look on his face. I was startled as well, but not as badly. I identified the attacker. Curved horns, dark curly hair, cloven hooves and dressed in old and torn clothes. Toh'ma.

I got up, laughing. "What were you doing on the roof?" His ears flicked up from hearing my laughter. "Fun." He then looked down to a terrified Shaun who hadn't yet fully recovered and began laughing in his strange, voiceless way. Shaun sat up straight again and started laughing too. "Hey goatface." Toh's ear twitched and he tilted his head to the side. He raised his arm up and shook his hand in a very sloppy and comical way. "Hey." His voice cracked as he said it, and his whole tone of voice was very unsure, adding to the comical effect.

Men. They could barely know each other and still be best friends.

I walked towards the non-human. He gazed at me in silence for a few seconds before he blinked and walked back into the woods. I waved goodbye to Shaun and followed behind. Only the third day and I had enough confidence to start conversations. "Hey Toh, why did you do all this? I mean...ask me to spend the days in the woods with you." He looked to me, seemingly lost in thought. "I was...lonely." His tone of voice had a hint of sorrow in it, but he still managed to make it seem like he didn't care.

We were walking towards where the pond and the willow were. As the great tree became visible, A thought struck me. "Hey Toh..." "Erin." "When you're not blending in with people, where do you go to sleep?" His eyes met mine briefly before he looked on elsewhere. He reached out and grabbed my wrist and started walking off in an other direction. It wasn't a rough grab like the first day. Was it because he was actually being more gentle, or because I expected it? I didn't know.

We kept on walking, weaving past a few large boulders. We got to a stream that had a large log placed over it to serve as a bridge. I didn't really trust myself to cross it. I had no sense of balance. I was barely able to stand on my own two feet. He was already across the stream and looking at me. I gathered my courage and set foot on the log. I instinctively tensed-up and the three foot deep pool of water that was maybe six feet accross now felt like the Grand Canyon.

I looked back in front of me. He was waiting. I gazed into his fiery eyes and walked towards him. I looked back down and I had made it across. I hadn't fallen. I sighed happily. Ten in the morning and I hadn't gotten stuck, fallen or fainted yet. Oh well, plenty more hours in a day.

Beyond a small grove, wooden planks became visible. I looked on in surprise as we came accross an old log cabin. It was dirty, very deteriorated, but standing and had all it's windows intact. The Goatman stepped forward and opened the door, walking in. He turned back to look at me, his gaze asking me to follow. I walked in and was astounded to notice that the inside was remarkably clean. The heavy wooden floor was marked here and there with slight scratch marks, as one might expect if something with big claws lived in the house, or sharp hooves. There was barely any dust on the various shelves. A few old figurines sat on the furniture here and there. I recognised a few old toys who looked hand made. As I walked around the house, I took notice of several items that had been collected and placed around. The collection varied from polished stones and deer antlers to lost things like beer cans, an old shoe and even a badminton racket.

In the back of the cabin, there was a bedroom. For a bed, there was nothing but a matress directly placed on the ground. I recognised the ratty and old blanket Toh had had when he had slept in the cabin with us. A dream catcher was hung above the bed and a small shelf sat by, a few books piled up on it. I was surprised when I read the titles and found a few old Disney stories like 'The Jungle Book' and 'The Lion King'. There was also a book entitled 'America before man'. I smiled when I also saw a cook book. 'Gourmet from the Woods'. How to cook with local plants and how to prepare a variety of game... So that's where he learned how to cook.

I looked back to him and smiled. He was leaning against the wall, watching me. I then noticed a picture hung on the wall close to him. I walked over to it. It was one of the only pictures in the whole building. It was one of a man, looking to be native american. He had curly black hair and kind brown eyes. He was standing behind and hugging a beautiful young woman. She had long cascading brown hair that curled lightly at the ends, and eyes that gleamed in a rich, shining golden color. Not brown, or hazel. Golden. Almost yellow. Her hands were laid on her stomach, which was swollen. She looked to be about six months pregnant. They looked so happy...

I felt movement by my side and heard a quiet intake of breath behind me. "Toh..." "Erin." "Are these your parents?" He smiled, a look of nostalgia painting it's self across his face. "Yes." He touched the picture gently, pressing a finger on the woman's stomach. "I'm there too." I looked back to him. "Where are they?" His smile faded away, replaced by a neutral expression. He pulled his arm away. "...Gone." He started walking back towards the door. I understood his euphemism. They were...dead.

I suddently felt sad for him. I was tempted to run up to him and hold him, but I didn't know how he would react to that. Instead I just followed him in silence. The subject had clearly shaken him slightly. I felt uncomfortable for bringing it up, or making him think about it. Suddenly, I began thinking of my own parents. Trying to find something to break the heavy silence, I decided to talk about that.

"If my parents are alive or not, I don't know. I never really got along well with them..." He looked over to me, seeming confused. I went on. "They were...never home. I had to fend for myself. When I left to live on my own, they never tried to speak to me again...and I never tried to speak to them." He blinked slowly and, to my surprise, he walked over to me and gently pushed me against him. I froze as I felt him rub his short snout against the top of my head, and he hummed softly. He was so warm, so much warmer than a human being.

It was hard to describe the feeling. I felt cared for, happy. However, his searing temperature made me feel like I was suffocating. In less than three seconds, he had let me go, and the warm air of late spring hit me with the effect of a cold winter gust. Why was he so warm?..

I looked back to him, only to see that his ears were tilted back, his face showing embarassment. He wasn't sure if what he had done was okay by human standards, and frankly, it wasn't really. But I had liked it. I smiled to him and looked away. The dramatic effect of the temperature I had just felt brought an other question to my mind. "What do you do in the winter? Don't you get cold?" He nodded, a corner smile stretching on his snout. "I have end'fish." At first I was confused as to why he was talking about fish, but then I understood. "Oh, the wolves?" He smiled and nodded. "Yes. Wolves."

I giggled as I imagined him sleeping in a big pile with the wolves. He looked at me, confused. I just smiled more. He snorted and looked away. It was about noon and I was starting to get hungry. "Do we go back to eat today?.." His ears drooped and he looked at me with an unreadable expression. He then pat his chest, standing with his back straight. "Restaurant." I started laughing. Okay, maybe I hadn't explained the concept to him properly, but I still felt happy that he was willing to cook for me again.

"Okay, you'll be my...restaurant." His ears flicked up and he dashed off into the woods. I was left alone with my thoughts for a few minutes. _Hmm...Restaurant...Res Toh rant... _I started laughing, off by myself in the woods. As I waited, I felt a cool breeze pass by me, followed by the feeling of being watched. I looked around, trying to find some kind of way by which I could actually see the spirits. I found none. It bothered me. They could see me, and they all seemed curious about me, but I had no idea where they were or even when they were there.

My companion eventually returned, holding two dead rabbits by the feet. I subconciously took a step back when I saw something massive and dark moving beside him, but I recognised it as Rhunu. Two young puppies were following the big alpha. As Toh'ma worked on the food, I sat down on a fallen log. Rhunu walked over to me quietly. The pups followed close by, looking up to me hesitantly. I noticed the Goatman's gaze, watching my every action. Gauging my every reaction.

One of the puppies gathered it's courage and padded over to me. It sniffed my hand hesitantly. I slowly began to pet it. It's tiny tail started wagging and the other pup ran forward, squeezing against it's sibling, trying to get my attention too. Toh looked on aprovingly.

In three days, I had conquered so many fears.

We ate quietly and I was, once again, taken aback by the creature's culinary capacities. "Hey could I borrow your cook book sometimes?" He nodded, leaning against Rhunu's side. The pups watched us intently. I looked to one of them and it laid down on the dirt, looking up to me with big blue eyes, it's snout stuck between it's paws. His little tail was wagging in an uncertain way. He looked adorable.

Toh lightly tapped my arm and I looked up to him. He handed me a piece of the second rabbit he had killed. This one didn't have any herbs on it. He gestured over to the pups. I understood what he meant. I crouched forward, and the puppy suddenly looked very excited. It was struggling to stay in it's adorable begging position. I could see it's tail wagging faster and faster. It looked like it was about to fly away like a helicopter. I threw the piece of meat. The puppy ran forward and gulped it down in less than two seconds. I looked by my side to see Toh feeding the second puppy. That one looked much calmer. When he was done, the young man took what remained of the rabbit and carefuly placed it between Rhunu's jaws. The wolf silently padded away, followed by the pups.

I couldn't help but smile. When I got back to the city, I might buy a husky. Who knows? We walked a bit more. He didn't teach me any new words in Fishuu today. I wasn't really complaining. They were all really complicated words that I would probably forget anyway. I wouldn't even try to understand their grammar and sentence structures. I was also left on my own to figure out most of the smaller words, and I hadn't figured out some of the ones he used in almost every sentence.

I had to teach him though.

A familiar sound rang through the woods. An engine. Toh's ears flicked and he looked up. An airplane was passing by. He spoke-up. "Big metal thing in the sky. Forgot what to call it." "It's an airplane...wait, you know those are made of metal?" He nodded, looking at me like I was an idiot. This guy confused me. And to be honest, he confused me the most when he acted normal.

I didn't really know him. I hadn't realised to what extent until now. I knew nothing of his past other than the fact that his parents were dead. I didn't know where he learned to read, or write, or where he had seen an airplane close enough to know it was made of metal. Was he even born with his strange powers? His mother's eyes told me she probably was like him, so I guess he's been this way since birth... But if he had a family at some point, and he had those books with him and that picture, doesn't that mean he used to live with people? Why did he leave? Why was he all alone in the woods now?

I wouldn't ask him. I didn't know what was acceptable of me to do and not do with him, just like he was unsure of what he could and couldn't do with me. I wanted to know him better. Unfortunately, I knew I likely never would. The sun was already starting to reach that point in the sky that caused the heavens to change color and the air to cool down. And my last day with him would be tomorrow...Not even all of tomorrow.

"I have to go back home tomorrow around noon." Toh's ears flicked up and he looked to me wide eyed. He looked hurt. Miserable, even. That was when I understood that he was all alone. Yes, he had the wolves, and the spirits, but nobody...human. Or as close to human as he was. He could touch the wolves, feel their warmth, but he couldn't converse with them. He could see, hear and speak to the spirits, but, as far as I could tell, he couldn't hold them, he couldn't be held. It was only now that I knew that I was his only friend. I hadn't even met him a week ago, but the look on his face told me that I meant a lot to him, and he didn't want to see me go away.

"I...we'll meet again. I know we will. I promise." He kept looking at me, his expression unchanged. "I'll come back and visit." Still no change. It hurt me to see him that way. It hurt me to know that I would be leaving him behind, all alone. I didn't want to believe that he would really be alone. "Listen, Toh. You're awesome." His ears flicked up. Good. "I'm really not that special, or one of a kind or anything, you'll find other people to talk to." They flopped back down. Not so good... "Keep doing whatever it is you did before you met me. Maybe try to act a little more friendly towards the campers. You'll make more friends. I know you will." He tilted his head to the side and looked up to the clouds.

I barely caught what he whispered next, and it hurt. "...Don't want them." I didn't want to go back to the others just yet. Why? Why did I care so much about someone that I just met? Why did he care about me so much?! Oh right...guys...they don't have to get to know someone to be their best friend. "You like scaring people, right?" For a split second, a smile stretched accross his snout. It went away as soon as he noticed and he went back to pouting. "You can keep doing that. Do it more. Do it better! You'll... feel better in no time."

I almost said you'll _forget. _I didn't want to say that. I didn't want to say that because I had a gut feeling that if I had, he'd be asking me if I would forget about him. And I knew I couldn't convince him he would move on and feel better if he knew that I wouldn't.

We started heading back. I fell into the stream this time. As I sat in the water, soaking wet, the man who had just cleared the log bridge stared down to me, frozen in place. He then started chuckling voicelessly, doing so until he collapsed to the ground. I stood up shakily and started laughing as well. He pulled me out of the water and swiftly let go of my hand, resuming his walk. I followed by closely.

The lights of the camp were visible beyond the trees. Everything was quiet in the forest, and I could hear the muffled conversations of people back at the camp. Toh shifted about nervously. He eyed the now visible cabin, his expression unreadable. We stood in silence by the door for a few long minutes. Shaun was outside, but he was kind of busy making-out with the blonde girl right now, so he didn't really see us coming.

Toh'ma had his head tilted in confusion. He blinked and recoiled a little, looking somewhere between intrigued and disgusted. I chuckled at his facial expression. The couple must have heard because they stopped what they were doing in order to look over to us. "Erin! Hey! And goatface." His loose and happy demeanor told me he might have had quite a few beers. I smiled up to him. "Hey guys." I said goodbye to Toh'ma and walked back towards the cabin.

I tried really hard to just walk in and close the door. I couldn't. I stood in the door frame, looking out to him for at least a few minutes. He turned and walked away first. I wanted him to walk away first. I needed him to do so. I needed to make sure that he could be on his own, of his own free will.

It was a bit of a party inside. I was offered a few drinks, which I gladly accepted, and I got to tell people about my day.

"He brought me over to his place." "Wow!" Shaun stepped forward, laughing a bit. "Didn't know you were into goats, Erin!" My jaw dropped and I flushed bright red. "W-what...No! I mean...He showed me where he lives! Oh my God, Shaun, no it's nothing like that!" I burried my face in my hands and laughed. He folded his arms and fake-whispered to the blonde girl. "She just doesn't know that that's her thing yet." I laughed again. Leave it to my cousin to make stupid jokes like this. I was actually kind of glad he did. It helped to cheer me up.

My smile faded away. Having my cousin around to make me laugh made me see once again that Toh'ma had nobody, and I was going to leave tomorrow.


End file.
